John s



ENT onirica. A

JOHN S. GILBERT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLOATING DRY-DOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,524, datedlVIarch 24, 1840.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN S. GILBERT, o-f the city of New York, in the State of New York, naval architect, have invented a new in part in giving to it the requisite stability.

It is usually built close at one end and at the two sides, there being sliding gates at one end for the admission of the vessel to be repaired. When situated between piers` it may be furnished, if preferred, with such gates at each end, admitting, in this way, two vessels, one at each end for repair at the same time. This, however, may be effected when there is a gate at one end only.

Figure l in the accompanying drawings is a top view of the floating dock as situated between two piers. A, A, is the interior of the dock.

B, B, are sliding gates at one end, which are moved in and out by a rack and pinion, so geared as to afford the requisite power.

C, is a boat gate, fitting into grooves formed by ledges in different parts of the dock, as shown at a, a, a, a. By the aid of this boat gate a vessel may be inclosed in a space adapted to its length, and thus obviate the necessity of discharging more water from the machine than is absolutely necessary for the size of the vessel to be repaired. There is an opening C through the boat gate, from side to side, near to its lower edge, or keel, which may be opened for the purpose of allowing water to pass through from one side of -it to the other. A plug tree, carrying a wicket gate, or valve, at its lower 4end, passes down the middle of the boat gate through a trunk f, and is raised orlowered by means of the lever b; it may be raised to such height as will allow the water to pass from side'to side only, through the opening for that purpose, but when raised entirely, the

water will then be admitted'into the hold of the boat, and allow of its being settled down in thev grooves formed for that purpose'. Vhen this boat gateis used, it is,.after having been settled, down in the proper grooves,

to be firmly attachedto the sides of the dock, i

in. order to keep `them from spreading, which might cause a leakage`v of water past the ends of the boat gate; this may be done means of screw bolts and nuts; or there may be a bar of iron fastened by a hinge, orstaple joint, at each end of the boat, and having a loop or opening at the other end to clasp on the heads of the timbers that project above the grooves, or on ironbolts attached to them, as at CZ, cl, Fig. 2. V

The dock may be constructed by makinga proper platform two hundred feet long, and

eighty four broad; upon this the sides are to be raised, starting notv less than ten, nor more than twenty-five feet apart, rising at an angle of from thirty to sixty degrees,as

may be preferred, to the height of twenty feet, more or less, according to the capacity required. `The sides are to be supported by what is termed by shipwrights deadwood,

or timbers bolted close to each other, and extending from the joint where the sides join the platform out to a line. perpendicular with the extreme edge of the sides. These dead wood partitions are placed Y at from twenty to thirty feet apart, and contain strong tanks, or may themselves constitute the ends of such tanks, as b v the dead-wood being built into the platform, and having its upper end securely fastened to the sides, they may be made perfectly tight by calking their seams.

In Fig. 2, which is a perspective View of the apparatus the same letters o-f reference are used as in Fig. l, where like parts are designated.

D, D are the dead-wood partitions, or supports; and E, E, E, the outsides of tanks, or water tight sections, from which water may be exhausted, or into which it may be admitted, as may be found requisite, On the top of each of these tanks, or sections, there is to be a notch, as shown at a Fig. 5, which may be removed when it is necessaryto enthedo is a conductor also in each of the angles L formed by the 'junction of the sideswith the platform running along the whole length of i the dock, and leading into the pump'qwell, thesemay be seenat c, o, FigsLQ and 3..; There are gates'fb'," Fi'gf, toilet the jwater'. from each ofthe tafnk'sintol these conductors` .at pleasure; andV alsofgatesto letwater run y insideunder the fioor,"vwithholes' through the cross timbers to afford itan uninterruptg ed passage into the pumpwfell.` A machine@ of this description, Sand of the dimensions stated, will possess a buoyancy of about 8,400 tons, including the space on the inside of the dock, and the water tight sections, or tanks, 1

A represented, any desired number Amay "be" used; into this pump-well all the water con-l tained within the body lof the dock, and within the tanks, may be made to pass.

through proper conductors.v Y

G Fig. 1, is anA opening, from thebodyff ck, leading into 'theV pump well. There on the outside.

The plan ofv making theend gates B, fB, to slide, insteadV of to turn *like ordinary gates is, I' believe, new in its application to docks, and is esteemed by me anessential improvement in their construction. AThese gates have-friction rollers on vtheir lower edges, which run on iron rails, as at e, z, e',

Fig,` 6, and are embraced by ledges constituting suitable grooves. 'nFig 6, one of these ledges is removed to exhibit the rollers. The pressure of the water` on their outsides will, when a portion is exhausted from within, keep them up against their bearings, so

as to render them watertight. VI have stated that'they are opened and'closed Vby the aid of a rack and pinion, but any other yadequatemeans may be resortedfto, as by blocks and chains leading to a windlass, or 'capstan `To keep them together, polls, or other devices, may be employed. y Y

H, H, H, Fig. l, are the pilesV and timbers constituting a part of the piers within which the dock is situated. .l The" tops of these piers, when in use, are covered over so as to constitute a platform for the -l workmen, but inthe drawings they are in part representedas uncovered, for the purpose of eX- hibi'ting parts which would otherwise be hidden by them. The platform, or bottom of the dock, extends Vout between thetimbers constituting the piers, asv shown Vat T, T, VT,

Figs. l, 2, 8- and 4, and upon thisportion of` theJ platform, so extended, on each side,

ironV rails J J ,are placed, upon whichthe Y loaded cars 'K, K, jare capableA of being moved back and forth. I also place similar Vthan in any other.

lcars L, L, to traverse on rails at the closed end of the-dock. These cars are to be moved by means of the windlasses M, M, which are provided with double chains, passing around guide pulleys, and attachedto the cars in such a way asthat by reversing the motionmof the windlasses the cars may be mademto move ineither direction at pleasure. These cars-must'contain a sufficient quantity ofballast to overcome the buoyancy of the wood of -which the machine is built, and

to `cause it tosink when water is admitted to fill the body nof the tanks andof the dock. As this machine may beV built ofiron, in-

stead of wood, the load in the cars will be inthis case `comparatively small, sayfrom 'lifty to a hundred tons, or such amount'as will sufiice tobalance `the dock andnits load by the shifting;ofithegcars, so asjto establishl the center .of gravity in the point re- Y quired. In theperspective View Fig, 2, and the vertical section, Figs, the operation of the chains byvwhich the cars are moved, withV the pulleys around` which4 they pass, are distinctly exhibited, so as not to require further description.l In the perspective view `of the dock, the timbers constituting the piers are omittedg-those markedV H2, Hin that figure `representing aframing on the platform of the dock itself, it being vsometimes so constructed.`

Fig. 3, showsa' cross section ofthe machine, having a vessel `blocked and shored within it. A main object of this section, however, is to show Vthe `dierence of the arrangement of the buoyant parts of my apparatusfrom those which vhave been heretofore constructed.` In these `a large portion of the buoyant power issituated below` the bottom of the vessel, while in mine the larger portionv of the space which gives buoyancy is `situated above the keelof the ,vessel under" repair.` In the section, Fig. 3,

the elevation of` thevessel isshown as pro-1` portionately greater than in the actual machines. By-this mode of `constructionthe depth .of water required to -sink the dock is much diminished,there notv being anything more below `the keel .than the necessary blocking, and the thickness of the platform.

A` great saving of `labor isfalso effected by myconstruction, as the quantity :of:` water requiredto be pumped fromV my machine to attain the necessary buoyancy, is much less By establishing a connectionbetween the pump well and all the parts of 'my machinery `by means of conductors, and other openings leadingthereto, governed byvalves, gates,'stoppers, or similarcontrivances which `may be opened or closed at pleasure, Imam enabled by one oruinore, pumps leading into Vthe pump well to eizhaustthe water from the whole, or from any particular portion of the apparatus, at pleasure, and also to admit it where sol it may be required,- and there only. There are, for example, plugs o, 0, o, which close and open holes, for letting water into the sections, and within this is to be inserted a cock, fawcet, or other analogous contrivance, with a shaft extending to the upper part, furnished with an iron cross piece for turning it. And the differenty gates, or openings are in like manner placed under control, by

devices of various kinds, which it is not necessary to describe, as they are such as are familiar to all competent engineers.

When one small vessel has been admitted for repair, and it is desired to take in a second, the gates at the lower end of the conductor, before described, are to be opened, and the water will be thereby admitted into the pump well. When the bottom is to be repaired and it is desirable to heel the dock over for this purpose, the sections on one side may be lled with water, and those on the opposite side left empty, by which means the end desired will be accomplished.

P, P, Fig. l are pulleys over which chains are to pass, o-r rather they should be wheels, or pulleys, with cogs upon them to take into the chains, so that by proper gearing they may be made to haul the chain taut. These chains answer several useful purposes, among which is their giving stability to the dock under certain circumstances, and by its aid the dock may be hove either up or down to a certain extent. In the section Fig. 3 the manner in which they are arranged is shown. P, P, are the cogged pulleys sustained on the timbers of the pier, and over which, as above stated, the chains pass. The chains are at one end made fast to the outside edge of the dock, as at g, g, and after passing over the cogged pulley P, it descends to low water mark, and around a pulley G, in the pile R, constituting a part of the pier, and is attached to the side of the dock, as at h. It will be seen that under this arrangement the turning of the pulley P, in one direction, will haul the dock downward, and that turning it in the opposite direction will haul it upward. If a stop is put on the sheave the motion in either direction will be arrested. The movable ballast cars furnish the means of using these chains with facility, as when the machine is to be raised at one end, by running them to the other end the raising of the opposite end will be readily effected.

In certain situations, as where the dock will not be affected by tides, it may be used without the erecting of piers, and, in this case, side decks will have to be built, supported by posts fastened to the platform, outside of the moving ballast cars. The cranes, and other apparatus required by the shipwrights will be affixed to these side decks. When used in piers, breakwater gates S S, Fig. l, should be attached to these piers,

to prevent the dashing of waves against the dock; in rough weather these will be found to be of great use. T is a stancheon, of which there may be one or more on each pier, and through them a bar or rod U, is made to slide, that it may be madev to bear against the side of a vessel as it is guided into the dock; it may be governed'by a rack and pinion, by tackle, or otherwise; these and other devices for guiding vessels into the dock, are well known to those conversant with nautical affairs.v

In the foregoing description my float-ing dock has been spoken of as constructed either of wood, or of iron, in the ordinary mode of joining those materials together; but independently of the novelty in the general construction of my machine, I have devised a new mode of combining the timbers together, or of uniting them to each other, in

building the platform and sides of my dock. In this novel construction I use for the platform and sides of my dock square timber, as it comes from the mill.

Fig. 7, is a cross section of the platform and sides so constructed. The ends of the square timbers are shown at z', i, z', n, n, n, sustained by similar sized cross timbers m, m, m, of which there may be such number as may be deemed requisite. The scantling n, n, is let into the cross timbers m, m, by halving, or notching the latter, and between these the pieces i, a', fit in, resting upon the original surface of the cross pieces; the side parts of the timbers z', n, i, n, lap over on each other, therefore, throughout their whole length, the pieces n, being firmly held by the notches made in the cross pieces m, m, to

which the whole are firmly bolted. By this method of framing, all the calk seams are on the inside, and a leak can be seen, and it will not be possible to drive the seams apart in calking them. The overlapping of the timbers z', n, t', n, form rests also for sustaining the shores, and for the stages used in the repairing of a vessel; they also constitute steps upon which to ascend and descend. I intend sometimes to construct the sides of my dock in this manner, and to allow those sides to move, like gates, upon hinges along their line of junction with the platform, at m, m, so that they may be raised against the sides of a vessel, and thus be made to aid in altering' the shape of an old and crooked vessel.

I-Iaving thus fully described the manner in which I construct my floating balance dry dock, and also the mode of using the same, I do hereby declare that what I claim therein as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi l. The employment of a boat gate, in the manner described, for the purpose of dividing the machine into two compartments, in the manner, and for the purpose described.

f 2. TheV mannerV ofV Vemploying' nnOVlable loaded, or ballast cars,- `Whiehyare made to runupon suitable rails, `orways,situated on thevplatform', extended out forthat purpose,

in order to regulate the center of gravity of n the apparatus, as described. f

3. The particular manner of uniting, or putting together the timbers of uniform size,

`for the construction of the platform and Aof the sides of the dook which saves the ex- 10 pensesof building stagesasset forth, and

represented in Fig.V 7,'Whetl1er said sides be made stationary, Vor movable` JennV s. GILBERT. p i

Witnesses: l Y p p VInns/um SANFORD, l

Gr. C. Wine.` 

